Feist−Feist: Theories of
Personality, Seventh
EditionII. Psychodynamic
Theories- Sullivan: Interpersonal
Theory
(^238) © The McGraw−Hill
Companies, 2009
people come to late ado-
lescence with no intimate
interpersonal relations,
inconsistent patterns of
sexual activity, and a
great need to maintain se-
curity operations. They
rely heavily on the
parataxic mode to avoid
anxiety and strive to pre-
serve self-esteem through
selective inattention, dis-
sociation, and neurotic
symptoms. They face seri-
ous problems in bridging
the gulf between society’s
expectations and their own
inability to form intimate
relations with persons of
the other gender. Believ-
ing that love is a universal
condition of young peo-
ple, they are often pres-
sured into “falling in love.”
However, only the mature
person has the capacity to
love; others merely go
through the motions of being “in love” in order to maintain security (Sullivan,
1953b).
Adulthood
The successful completion of late adolescence culminates in adulthood, a period
when people can establish a love relationship with at least one significant other per-
son. Writing of this love relationship, Sullivan (1953b) stated that “this really highly
developed intimacy with another is not the principal business of life, but is, perhaps,
the principal source of satisfaction in life” (p. 34).
Sullivan had little to say about this final stage because he believed that mature
adulthood was beyond the scope of interpersonal psychiatry; people who have
achieved the capacity to love are not in need of psychiatric counsel. His sketch of the
mature person, therefore, was not founded on clinical experience but was an extrap-
olation from the preceding stages.
Mature adults are perceptive of other people’s anxiety, needs, and security.
They operate predominantly on the syntaxic level, and find life interesting and ex-
citing (Sullivan, 1953b).
Table 8.2 summarizes the first six Sullivanian stages of development and
shows the importance of interpersonal relationships at each stage.
232 Part II Psychodynamic Theories
During late adolescence, young people feel both lust and intimacy
toward one other person.